Muse
by lleuad-glas
Summary: AKA: Lleuad Can't Resist Playing Fix-it. I couldn't just leave things they way the show did. Rated for Jack being Jack in later chapters. And Ianto not complaining.
1. Cyberwoman

**A/N: Yes, I usually HATE OCs/Mary Sues, but I couldn't resist-I had to fix RTD's mistakes somehow. And I started this like forever ago, before I realized just how annoying they were.**

**Disclaimer: I totally own Torchwood and the boys... Not! Too bad-I would have been nicer to them. Spoilers for Cyberwoman.  
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><p>The first time Ianto saw <em>her<em> was just after Lisa died-no, Lisa had been killed, for the first time, in the horror that was Canary Wharf. It was after the Cyberwoman that had taken her place had only just been destroyed. He was cleaning, and trying desperately to lose himself in the work to keep from drowning in regret. Ianto hardly meant a word of what he had said or done all night. There were two things he never allowed himself to do-get drunk, and get excessively angry. Both of them made him talk more than he usually would, and he always regretted it. He heard, absently, the alarm of the door as Gwen left.

Only a few minutes later, Ianto realized that he and Jack were alone in the Hub. With Gwen gone home to Rhys, and Ianto felt a slight tinge of fear mixed in with the regret for the pain he had caused. There was no telling what Jack might do now that no one else was there; he had been holding himself in check, but now Ianto feared Retcon or worse. He looked back down at his task, dutifully trying his best to pick up the mess he had made, and to avoid being sick. Every time he closed his eyes he saw blood and the chilling glow of the Cyber technology.

"I'm so sorry, Ianto, I really am," the feminine voice startled him and he looked up to see a girl who looked to be no more than fifteen or sixteen. Her eyes gave her away though-the hazel depths were far older than the rest of her face.

"Who are you?" he asked softly, confused and not even entirely sure she was there. She seemed almost ethereal, and her voice had a half-echo during some of the longer pauses. Her very presence seemed to soothe him, and his regretful mourning was temporarily interrupted by an odd sense of calm.

"This _is_ the first time you've met me then. I'm a friend. Or, I will be. I'm so sorry I'm late... If I could have spared you this I would have, I swear. Come here. I have a mess to sort out." She wrapped her arms around him in a strangely protective gesture, and something about her seemed to leech the pain out of him, leaving him only pleasantly confused. When she finally pulled back she kept hold of Ianto's wrist and tugged him, with a strength that was far too great for her size, up to Jack's office, where the man in question was looking nearly as confused as Ianto felt. He seemed to look straight through the girl to Ianto, until she let go of his hand and clicked her fingers.

All at once, her presence seemed to register with Jack. In two seconds flat, he had stood up and drawn his gun, aiming it at the intruder.

"If it's all the same to you, _Captain_, I'd rather you didn't shoot me. That would be one of the more destructive ways to find out exactly what I am. Regeneration can be a very messy process." Her voice was sharp, with thinly veiled anger towards Jack. Ianto looked at her, the meaning of her words beginning to sink in. "Now, Jack, if you would please look me in the eye for a second... ah, that's better."  
>After a split second of eye contact with the strange girl, the man visibly relaxed, and took on a very puzzled expression.<p>

"What did you do to me? And what are you?" he asked.

"Suspended your capability to feel anger for the time being. I can't have you going all destructive on me. Oh, don't look like that. Scan me if you must, but then let me talk." Jack's Vortex Manipulator was instantly up and beeping as his eyebrows rose higher and higher at the readings.

"Age nine hundred and seven, binary vascular system... You can't be... He said he was the only one left..." Words seemed to fail the captain and he trailed off.

"He is. I was born on the twin planet, actually." Her lips curled into a smirk.

"Twin planet? _Gallifrey's_ twin planet?"

"Yes, well, no one seems to care about Cantira anymore... it's not like we had the most perfect and peaceful society in the Universe or anything... But that's beside the point. I'm not strictly _from_ either world, I'm a hybrid."

"Cantira?" Ianto interrupted softly. They were the first words he had spoken in the whole conversation, and Jack looked over, almost surprised to see that he was still there.

"Planet identical to Gallifrey, where the Time Lords came from; birthplace of the Pathos." He said it impatiently before turning back to the mysterious, and apparently alien girl. Ianto understood vaguely what he was referring to, but only because of his work in the archives.

"You're impossible. How are you even alive?" She smirked at that.

"So are you. Well, the Time Lords, in all of their brilliance, thought that with the right genetic manipulation it might be possible to meld our two species in such a way that our respective abilities would dampen each other. They created me. And, as seems to be so often the case, they were entirely wrong. I have the powers of Time _and_ Empathy, so I can not only feel the emotions of roughly three galaxies _right now_, but throughout the majority of _Time_. Feeling sorry for me yet?"

Ianto was hit by just how small his pain was, compared to what this girl was feeling. He had the sudden urge to hug her-which he repressed, going instead for a sympathetic glance.

"I'm sorry," he said, low enough that only she could hear it.

"What is your name?" Jack asked, suddenly very respectful towards her. The words brought a short, musical laugh past her lips.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't tell you that... My other half wouldn't approve." Ianto felt his eyebrow raise at the Cantiran's use of the words _other half_.

"And what does any significant other have to do with your name?" Jack wondered.

"I'll explain later. I think you said I explained it on my second visit? Or maybe... no, definitely the second. Sort of," she rolled her eyes.

"Time travel. Just call me Muse. But we can catch up later. For now... you two ruined my nap! You have no idea how long I've been trying to sleep! I had to go all the way out into the Dead Space just to get other people's emotions out of my head enough, and then, I get dragged out here because Jack screwed up-and Jack's _always_ screwing up somehow or other-so I get pulled off course to come play counselor, _again_! I was _trying_ to aim for your wedding!" She suddenly clapped her hands over her mouth in a gesture that clearly showed that she'd said too much. "Oops."

Ianto and Jack's eyes met a bit sheepishly. Wedding? She couldn't mean what he thought she did...

"Um, okay then... what were you saying?" he said, trying to break the sudden awkward silence.

"Yes, well, okay, I was trying to sort out your problem. See, I like you both-which is really saying something, Jack-so I don't want you to have any more pain than you have to. I sensed _this_, and willed myself through space and time to get here." She turned to Ianto. "I wish I could have done something to help, to save Lisa... but if it had been any other outcome, the Universe would end." Seeing his hurt and somewhat skeptical expression, she exclaimed, "Really! If it didn't happen how it did, Jack won't leave the Doctor when he does, so Martha won't leave him when _she_ does, so Donna won't join the Doctor when _she_ does, and she won't be there the time she's supposed to be, so the Daleks will disintegrate the Universe. Long story short."

"You sure have a way of comforting people," Jack said sarcastically.

"Like you're doing much better! You're not even trying." This effectively shut him up in seconds. "Ianto, look me in the eye," she instructed, and he did so extremely cautiously, well aware of what she had done to Jack with just that look. "I'm not going to hurt you, just talk to you. Really, that's the only purpose eyes have with the Pathos. I can't see a thing, they just focus the telepathic energy."  
>As Ianto met the Empath's eyes, he suddenly felt a warm, pleasant sensation pushing up against his mind, deep and inherently musical. As the song began to form words, it took a conscious effort to avoid swaying to the pulse of the music.<p>

_Lisa will always be a part of you, but your life doesn't begin and end with her. You will heal quicker than you think, but you must forgive yourself. What you did isn't all wrong, nothing done purely in love is. Your team will understand given time, and Jack quicker than they. Just give them-give __**him**__-a chance. You saw it in his eyes, when you asked that question... he has loved more deeply than most can imagine._

Muse drew away, leaving him with a song, and a very confusing bit of hope. And then, she turned almost angrily to Jack, fixing him with a stare that was completely devoid of the warm compassion that had fallen on Ianto.

He wanted to hear what she was saying to the Captain, but he knew it wasn't his place. This was still the same man who had threatened to kill him hours earlier... and kissed him back to life, but he didn't think Jack would appreciate his remembering that. He did know, however, that his lips had felt hot and slightly tingly for quite a while afterwards. Ianto pushed his curiosity down-until, of course, he heard Jack exclaim,

"No way! That's blackmail, you can't tell him that!"

"Sure I can. He already knows." Jack paled visibly, and Ianto grew curious. He knew a great deal about his mysterious superior-it wasn't that hard to work out, if you just took all of his stories seriously-but which thing in particular was he so worried about? "But that's all for now, folks, I have another version of you two to sort out... Dear God, Jack, do you ever stop being stupid? For goodness sakes, leave a note or something, at least..." and with that, she vanished, leaving only a shimmering patch of air behind.

Ianto turned to leave, needing time to sort out what Muse had said. The calm feeling he had been experiencing vanished with the alien girl, and his tumultuous emotions returned full force. He had just reached the door when he felt a hand on his elbow, and he froze, looking back momentarily.

"I just wanted to say... I'm sorry, Ianto." He was loathe to meet the Captain's eyes, but when he did, just for a second, he saw only pain, sympathy, and honesty there.


	2. End of Days

**A/N: Sooooo angry with Jack for just leaving the way he did... so I did something about it!**

**Disclaimer: Yes, since my last update, I bought Torchwood and now have all the rights to it, but I write fanfiction anyway. Spoilers for End of Days.  
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><p>Muse was rather hopeful about the results of her second-well, first for them-meeting with Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones. She had sensed that within days, they would be talking more, in weeks, they would have a first-well, second-kiss, and only days after that... the thought made her blush. She had seen a lot of the Universe in her nine hundred years plus, but she still retained a kind of innocence that went along with her teen-aged regeneration. However, pulled through the time stream by another blip in the relationship, she suddenly found herself, once again, in the Torchwood Hub, near the door, and the hand belonging to her other half.<p>

Sensing more than one presence in the Hub, she quickly found the other-Gwen, if memory served-and telepathically "convinced" the the woman to not see or hear her.

"Jack!" Muse yelled loudly, "Jack! Get over here!" Muse sensed a little flash of recognition in the mind of the Captain, and then heard the boot-steps as he hurried to see her.

"You know it took me two whole days to be able to feel properly again?" Jack said, with a slight edge to his voice. He clearly wasn't happy to see the Empath.

"Hello, Jack, good to see you too, I'm feeling lovely, thanks for asking."

"You're either very late, or slightly early. My favourite Tea Boy is off to get coffee."

"Ah, am I to understand that you took my advice to heart?" Just moments ago, for her, she had told him that he had to _let_ himself feel what he would be feeling right about now, to focus on 'everything has its time' and not get caught up in 'everything dies'. "And why on earth would your boyfriend be buying coffee when he could put Starbucks out of business with his own?"

"His coffee maker was a casualty of uncontrolled rift-opening. I was dead for three whole days, and you didn't come and do something then?"

"Time travel is tricky. Speaking of which, my other half should be on his way very soon."

"And what do you mean by other half?"

"It's partly my fault that I'm as powerful as I am... You see, the moment I was born, my consciousness reached out through time and space and latched onto the only other living soul that was strong enough to support the kind of energy that was contained in me. He became part of me, and for a time we were equals, with the same thoughts, same memories, same everything.

"But it was too much for him-he was too impulsive to contain that kind of power. If I had let him keep it, he wouldn't be strong enough to understand that all things have to end. There would be a hundred like you, Jack, never dying because he couldn't let them go. Two-er, sorry, one-is quite enough.

"The moment he was about to look into the Untempered Schism, I pulled most of myself and my powers out of him. He can only hear me if I talk to him, now, and then only as an errant thought. He is only slightly more powerful than any other Time Lord. And you've met him."

"The Doctor?" Jack exclaimed, incredulous. "You mean to tell me that you are telepathically linked with the Doctor? Why can't you just tell me what's wrong with me?"

"Because it is not my place to tell. And because he will be here very, very soon. He regrets a lot of the things he said-will say-to you on this trip, and he always did want to apologize. But before you leave-You have to understand that _anything_ that happens after 8:02 on the day of First Contact, no matter what it is-It never happened. It will be reset and undone, and no one will even remember it. It doesn't really happen." Muse's tone was urgent, like she was begging him to understand. And in some ways, she was. The Cantiran sensed his confusion, and then his suddenly remembering something.

"When Ianto gets here... tell him where I went, tell him... tell him he's never been second best." Right as Jack finished speaking, the hand belonging to Muse's other half started twitching, the liquid around it bubbling like it was on a fast boil.

"When I said leave a note, I wasn't talking about me! But I suppose that works. If it helps, I can send him that image you've got in your head as well." Muse smirked, and Jack almost blushed.

"That's not fair, you know."

"Hurry, you haven't got time to rant about the unfairness of the Universe." And Jack was gone, racing up the steps to get to his Doctor.

Muse stayed back, softly singing to Myfanwy. A few minutes later the alarm went off again and the door rolled back as the team walked in. She kept herself invisible to them, not wanting to have to explain her presence yet again. Ianto, however, seemed to see her quite clearly, despite the telepathic block, and was barely able to contain his start of surprise.

Laying back in Jack's office chair, she waved to Ianto and made a motion for him to come up. As Gwen, Tosh, and even Owen began frantically looking for Jack, he made an excuse and stepped quietly into the office, closing the door, and the blinds, behind him.

"Jack's gone," he said simply, with an accusatory note underneath.

"How perceptive of you."

"Where is he?" The accusing tone was there, and a hint of fear.

"Right about now... He's probably dead. In a minute he'll wake up and find himself in the year 100 Trillion."

"The Doctor?" Muse smirked now-she could sense the jealousy in his mind, and longing. He missed his Captain.

"He will be back in a few months. But the important thing is that you don't let the team grill him about where he went. Don't let them push, because he won't bend. He'll break. To him, he will have been gone a year-the worst year of his life, even if it didn't actually happen. If you're very, very gentle, he'll open up to you... but first you'll have to prove that you're here. That you're alive and well, that the Year that Never Was really never was.

"Jack died so many times that year, but the one he will _always_ remember was the time he literally died of a broken heart. He lost you in the Year that Never Was, and when he returns he will be desperate to know that you're here. He might surprise you, even. He needs you, Ianto. More than he realizes.

"And he wanted me to tell you-you've never been second best. What he didn't say, at least out loud, was that he couldn't wait to get back so he could... um... oh dear, I'm not saying _that_." Muse met his eyes for a second and sent him Jack's-_very vivid_, she might add-mental image. Ianto jumped and a flush began to spread from his face down his neck.

"That... that is graphic."

"It is, isn't it? I'm seriously considering blocking Jack's mind so I don't have to see that every time I'm near him. The first time I met you guys..." the Empath trailed off, blushing.

"So, if last time wasn't the first time you met us, when will it be?"

"The fourth time you meet me. Be sure to make a good impression-I'm supposed to like you. You did a good job of that last time, but every time you so much as looked at each other... You two are very creative, I'll give you that. I suppose you'd have to be, as long as you'd been together... Such strong emotion-If you so much as kissed... I passed out. More than once."

"Out of curiosity, how long _had_ we been together?"

"Spoilers!"

"But you say we did a good job of making you like us? However did Jack manage it?"

"Oh, he flirts much less in the future. And he said he 'owed me a wish'."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I grant wishes. Personal policy-if you can make me like you, I'll try to help you with a problem you've had, and if you can make me love you-not in a romantic sense, don't worry-I'll grant a wish, so long as Time and Space aren't changed too much. Though usually, what you wish for is what makes me love you."

"So the next time we meet-" Ianto began.

"Oh my God! You've done it! _All_ of you! Bye!" And the Cantiran pulled herself through Time and Space again, leaving Ianto once more confused and a bit hopeful.


	3. Day Four

**A/N: Yay! Got my first review! Thanks lesleigh! Glad you like my story :) I was also thinking of doing another story with the between-times... what do you guys think?**

**Disclaimer: So, hands raised-who actually thought this was mine? Didn't think so. Spoilers for Day Four.**

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><p>"<em>I love you," Ianto gasped out, trying not to show that his insides felt like they were being at once shredded and boiled.<em>

"_Don't." Don't go, don't leave, don't die. Don't make me do this alone again. "Ianto? Ianto? Ianto, stay with me! Ianto stay with me, please! Stay with me!" Jack was becoming hysterical with despair._

"_It was good, yeah?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Don't forget me."_

"_Never could," he answered honestly._

"_A thousand years time, you won't remember me."_

"_Yes I will. I promise. I will. Ianto? Ianto? Don't go. Don't leave me, please. Please, don't." I need you. I love you. Don't go._

_"HE WILL DIE, AND TOMORROW YOU PEOPLE WILL DELIVER THE CHILDREN." The voice would have chilled Jack under normal circumstances, but as it was he didn't even hear it. Devoid of the energy needed to speak, he gave his lover what he desperately prayed was not a last kiss, before suddenly..._

There was a blinding flash, and suddenly the air was clear. Jack looked up, quickly regaining his strength and pulling Ianto to his chest again, almost dizzy with relief as the other's eyelids began to flutter open. In the center of the brilliant light was a figure that looked vaguely familiar. _Muse_, his muddled mind supplied.

"How dare you?" The inexorable fury fairly came off the Empath in waves, rippling through the room. "How _dare_ you?" she repeated, the words reverberating through the space. She held up a hand, and the Universe froze. She ran to Ianto's side, the wrath still blazing in her eyes. "Four wishes. I've never had to do four wishes at once. And all in one moment..." There were four sharp clicks of her fingers, and suddenly, Jack was somewhere else, and a miracle was held tight in his arms-Ianto was healed.

Jack stopped noticing anything beyond '_Ianto was healed_' and immediately began kissing him enthusiastically. He probably would have continued on for several minutes if it wasn't for the simultaneous exclamations of "Oh God!", "Aww!", and "Get a room!", the relatively polite, if embarrassed, throat clearing-and a loud _thud_.

"Love you too," Jack breathed against Ianto's lips as the pair reluctantly pulled apart and Jack looked up, and was instantly gaping at what he saw. Firstly, he was in the Hub-the perfectly un-blown-up Hub, looking cleaner than it had in years. Secondly, his entire team was there. Everyone he still thought of as his team, no matter how he tried to move on. He opened and closed his mouth several times before settling on an inquiring look at Muse.

Except that the Cantiran was no longer standing where she had been. Rather, she was passed out on the ground, waking up slowly with a dazed look in her eyes. He helped her up quickly while she muttered, "I _told_ you I pass out whenever you guys kiss."

Before Jack can ask the question he meant to, Gwen interjects.

"Who on Earth is _she_?"

"Slightly all-powerful disconcertingly knowledgeable time-traveling Cantira-Gallifreyan who has taken it upon herself to be our personal relationship counselor," he answers loftily.

"Also known as Muse," Ianto adds helpfully. "So what happened?"

"Four wishes, didn't I say? Gwen wished that Torchwood could just go back to being how it was, Rhys that no one had even heard of the 456, you that he wouldn't forget, and he that you wouldn't leave."

"But what did you _do_?"

"Well, I repaired the Hub and brought Tosh and Owen back to life-proper life, this time, no more half-lives. I erased the 456 from Time and Space so that they never existed. This isn't the only damage they've done, but now they haven't done any. No one even remembers them, anymore. I gave him a mental capacity equal to my own, so he can get all the way to his final death without having to forget anything." Ianto frowned-that was only three.

"You said four wishes," Jack supplied.

"Erm, yeah, about that..."

"_What_ about it?"

"I kind of... added... something..." Muse was looking shifty, until finally she leaned over and whispered in his ear. The immortal's eyes widened.

"You didn't!"

"I wouldn't have told you so if I hadn't."

"The Doctor's going to kill you."

"In that case, I wish him good luck trying; but I _have_ managed to show him that while it may not be right in general, in this case it's just what the Universe ordered."

"I never wanted this." He was almost terrified-he didn't want this to happen to his team, his friends.

"But you needed it." As much as the immortal didn't want to admit it, he had to admit it was true.

"I hate to break up the party, but would either of you care to explain?" Owen's snark was warmly familiar. Jack gestured for Muse to explain, and was met with several seconds' silence. Ianto leaned towards him, teasingly allowing his breath to brush Jack's neck before whispering,

"She's blind, Cariad."

"Right, I knew that. Go ahead, Muse."

"I hyperlinked spacio-temporal vortex energy to your animation forces," she mumbled quickly, flushing a little.

"English, please?" Of course, Gwen wouldn't understand.

"Do you mean to say... that you..." Ianto began, and Jack saw him glance at Muse's eyes to finish the sentence, and then he instantly-in a rather out-of-character display of affection-hugged Muse. "Thank you."

Tosh's brain was only a second behind Ianto's.

"You've made us all like Jack," she breathed.

"Hold up a second. On whose authority, exactly, did you make four people immortal?" Gwen wanted to know.

"Oh, don't question the authority, my other half owns Time. But, um, actually... Five. Counting Rhys. And not really immortal... Not even Jack is that. He'll die, eventually. _You'll_ just live as long as Earth needs you. When Earth no longer needs Torchwood, you'll feel it, and you'll be normal again."

"I don't think any of us was ever _normal_," Owen interjected.

"Ah, yes... what was it my other half said? '_Nine hundred years of time and space, and I've never met someone who wasn't important.'_" She smiled.

"Nor have I," Jack said, pulling Ianto closer. They looked almost like they were about to kiss again when Rhys cleared his throat loudly. They jumped a little further apart and Jack whispered "Later."

"Would anyone care to tell me why I got pulled into this deal too?" Muse turned towards him.

"Tell me honestly then, do you want Gwen to live on for years without aging a day, while you grow old and die? Besides, you're just what Torchwood needs. Smart, able to think on your feet, and yet entirely grounded; normal almost. Oh, and Jack-" their eyes locked as she carried on her sentence in his head.

_Ianto's not quite like them. You died once from losing him, I won't let it happen again. He will be with you always. Together you will outlive the Earth... actually, Earth-death was my other half's 'first date' with one of the most impressive humans I have ever met. She was his soul-mate in two different regenerations. You'll look a bit different then, but so will he. You will change rather... oddly, but he is slightly kinda sorta a shape-shifter... have fun with that!_

Jack grinned and thought back, _Oh, you know I will!_

The Cantiran blushed profusely. Aloud, she added, "Right then, I'll leave you lot to your victory... dancing... and I'm going to go see a wedding! I'll have to make a stop on the way-You're so forgetful, Jack, but this? You know what, I'll just get a new one to make up for it."

"New one what?" Ianto asked suspiciously.

"Ring, of course. Bye! Oh, and good luck, Tosh! He's much nicer once you break his shell, really." And she was gone.

"Jack, Tosh, is there something you want to tell us?" Owen piped up.

"No!" they both exclaimed.

"Good, cause you _both_ have boyfriends," Ianto said, a little smugly.

"Yes, we do... and I personally can't wait to take mine back to his flat." He began pulling Ianto closer than was generally polite for company.

"Really, Jack, can't you wait?" Gwen asked.

"Not for my Yan-Yan, I can't!"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that, sir?"

"I'll stop when you stop calling me sir."

"You know you like it... _sir_," he said teasingly.

"That I do, Jones, Ianto Jones." Owen was making loud retching noises as Gwen pulled Rhys away as fast as they could go.

"So, um, I guess we'll work out the details tomorrow?" Tosh asked.

"Sounds about right..." Ianto murmured, not really paying attention as he quickly got lost in Jack's gaze.

"Right, Owen, we'll just be going then..." As soon as they were gone, Jack lost no time in resuming his assault on Ianto's mouth.

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><p><strong>AN: I decided to add the shapeshifter bit just because I can :) And I can _totally _use that to make Jack worse than he already is.**


	4. A Wedding

**A/N: Set in an unspecified future time. Anything after CoE didn't happen, or at least happened very differently. I reject that reality and substitute my own. **

**Thanks to anyone who read and reviewed... Honestly, I just about jumped up and down at my computer when I read the reviews. *blush* I think I'm rather easily amused... and thanks to deemama66 and ForeverBossy26 for your wonderful words of encouragement :)**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I still don't own this... we should get together and buy it from them so we can fix everything.**

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><p>Muse traipsed through time for quite a while until she found what she had been looking for-a small, but expensive, jewelry shop on a planet far away in the distant future. She took her time carefully examining-by touch, of course-everything until she found the right one-that is, the one she had sensed in her past... that being the boys' future... and hers as well, if she thought properly... dear God this time stuff was confusing. Even for her.<p>

And then, using careful manipulations of the time stream, she went back to about two weeks ago and saved the store owner's life from some strange alien. As the owner then owed her a favor, she was able to take what she had chosen without having to disclose the fact that she owned even _less_ than her other half-who got by on a small screwdriver and an unreliable stolen space/timeship. Although, according to said ship, _she_ stole _him_.

Having thus made up for Jack's forgetfulness, Muse jumped time streams again and pulled her younger self off course, landing them somewhat early, in Jack and Ianto's front yard. Ignoring the sparks of temporal energy when they touched, and the annoyance of her former self, Muse pushed the present into her hands, and jumped to a few months later.

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><p>At the same time, the younger version of Muse was currently exceedingly confused, as she had just been trying to take a nap in the Dead Space when she suddenly found herself standing in someone's front yard. A second later, <em>another<em> her had given her a ring that was most definitely out of place and time. What was she supposed to _do_ with it, anyways? But the older her had wanted her to be here and now, presumably for a very good reason.

The Cantiran shook her head to clear it, and opened her mind, sensing around for anyone she might be supposed to help. Oddly enough, there was only one person in the house, although she sensed the lingering presence of a second, and several others who seemed to visit frequently. The one inside was extremely nervous, and appeared to be searching for something. Slipping the ring into her pocket, Muse shifted inside to investigate.

As soon as she did, the Empath realized that the person within had already met her-he was able to see her, even when she was trying to go invisible. _Drat my own meddling self!_ she cursed.

"Muse! It's good to see you... although, I suppose you don't really know me yet. Ianto said this would be the first time you met us." She spun around, unseeing eyes searching out the speaker.

"Ianto? Who's Ianto? Who are you? How do you know me?" Her natural paranoia was getting the better of her.

"Spoilers!" he said with a mischevious grin, "But my name's Jack-There's usually a _Captain_ and a _Harkness_ in there, but Ianto thought you'd think it was too egotistical, and you're supposed to like us. I owe you a wish, anyway."

_Owed her a wish..._ Muse wondered, _How exactly do I know him? _Was he the _same_ Jack Harkness that the Doctor had known?

"So what am I doing here? Another version of me just pulled me out of the Dead Space and just dropped me in your front yard."

"Usually, you come to help. And as much as you warned me about this last time... I appear to have misplaced my ring. I meant to propose to Ianto this evening after Tosh and Owen's wedding, but..." He sounded dejected, and suddenly the Empath wanted to help him.

"Well... I just gave me this," she said, holding up the ring. Examining it closely, she added, "It's very special... way out of place, and rather out of time, too. It's... It's _Cantiran_! I didn't know any Cantiran things had survived the Time War. It has several psychic properties..."

"Such as?" Jack asked, curious. "I've heard of some Cantiran items containing your abilities, but I didn't know it was real."

"Of course it was real! This is just a basic psychic link-emotions, simple thoughts... you know. And it can locate, but I don't know how well that will work."

"Can I see?" She passed it to him carefully, feeling his emotions light up as he looked at it.

"Can _I _see?" she asked him. He met her eyes casually, as if this was normal for him. She would have to investigate just how well they knew each other. Searching his thoughts, she focused on the image of the ring-It was beautiful, simple, and elegant, with the ethereal quality that only came from non-Earth workmanship. Of course, Jack's thoughts were quickly straying to how it would look on Ianto's hand, and then to an image of the man himself-which sent Muse reeling.

"Is something wrong?" Jack asked, concerned.

"I-I'm fine," she managed, "That is not _possible_! No human has any right to look that good. Surely your thoughts are colored wrong."

"I imagine so-I love him more than anything."

"Yet you misplace-" she was cut off by the sound of the front door creaking open. Jack hurriedly stuffed the ring into his pocket and tried to look like he was doing something.

"Jack?" Ianto called, and Muse immediately fell in love with his accent.

"Here."

"Have you seen my-Oh, hello, Muse! I trust Jack's been nice enough?" She was in the middle of nodding when Jack asked,

"What would you do if I hadn't?"

"I know better than to say I'd punish you... no, I'd withhold coffee. For a week."

"No!"

"Well my chances of being able to withhold sex are zero to none, so I'm taking the next best thing."

"Good thing I behaved myself, then," Jack said. The whole conversation had been so full of warm emotions that the Empath was swaying on her feet.

"Catch her, Jack," Ianto instructed, and she felt the immortal's arms go around her and set her gently on the couch. "And now, I can properly greet you," he said, practically falling into Jack. If the emotions before had been warm, this was like the center of the sun. The heat scalded her mind and all her senses went dark.

* * *

><p>"Come on Jack, stop it, we <em>do <em>want her to wake up again."

"Eventually."

"Seriously, I prefer my clothes _on_ when we have company."

"But _I_ prefer them _off_, all the time!"

"Later."

"Promise?"

"Always."

Muse sat up, groaning slightly. "How long was I out?"

"Not long," Ianto answered, "But long enough for Jack to sabotage my plans of getting dressed for the wedding in _two hours_." This last was directed at Jack, with what the Cantiran could only suppose was an irritated glare.

"It's not my fault it's so fun to take your suits off!"

"It _is_ your fault if we're late to the wedding!"

"Fighting isn't going to help anything," Muse interjected, "Besides, I could take you there. You wouldn't have to worry about time to get ready-there's less than no travel time."

"Don't give him ideas! He takes every opportunity he gets without help!"

"I didn't hear you complaining half an hour ago," Jack said.

"I'm not going to agree or we'll have to buy another house to store your ego."

"You might want to get a bigger house anyway, I can sense-" she began, quickly snapping her mouth shut as she realized what she was about to say. "Ignore me. My mouth doesn't stop when I want it to."

"Oh yes, we know. First time you met us, you were upset because you were trying to get to a wedding," Ianto informed her.

"And _then_, you accidentally let slip that _he_ was going to be immortal-"

"Though you conveniently forgot to tell me that I was going to be a shapeshifter-"

"Or check to make sure that I know anything about human shapeshifting-"

"Oh_ shut up already_!" the Empath practically yelled. "I haven't done any of that yet, but I'll try to fix it, promise. Now, don't you have a wedding to be getting to?"

It took a whole hour and a half and quite a lot of Jack-scolding to finally be ready for the wedding, but when they were done Muse simply took hold of their hands for a second, and then they were there. Unfortunately, the momentary exposure to the Time Vortex made them both very queasy, and it took some _very_ precise mind-meddling to keep their clothes clean.

"Ugh, that was worse than the TARDIS!" Jack complained.

"Time travel without a capsule, I know. It's fun!" the Cantiran smiled dreamily, her words bubbling of their own accord. "Everybody's so happy here, I'm gonna pass out again... catch me, somebody..." Ianto did, placing her gently in a chair.

"Well, Jack, we're finally on time for something. You'd be late for your own funeral, if you could have one."

"But that's what you're for! You keep me caffeinated and punctual."

"And that's all I'm good for?" Ianto asked, and Muse could hear the raised eyebrow in his voice.

"Oh there's _lots_ of things you do for me I won't mention in polite company."

"Oh really? Jack Harkness, actually using discretion... Are you _sure_ Earth-death was scheduled for the year five billion?"

"Come on, Ianto, Tosh would kill me at _least _twice if I didn't."

"Hush! They're starting!"

* * *

><p>Muse had really enjoyed the wedding-it was one of the first human ones she had been to, though she had seen at least a few though the Doctor's mind. Including his other self's wedding to Rose a few years ago in the alternate universe-though her connection with <em>him<em> was tenuous at best. However, as everyone began to leave, she walked almost drunkenly over to Jack and Ianto again.

"I have got to get out of here before my head explodes or something..."

"See you later, then?" Ianto asked.

"Like you said, I'm going to aim for your wedding. I'll probably get all emotion-drunk there too, but I want to see it anyway."

"He-hem... _our_ wedding?" He eyed her skeptically, and Jack glared at her. She took the opportunity to flick him in the side of the head.

"Get a move on, Mr Memory Loss! I didn't help me help you for no reason!" And with that she disappeared, presumably heading to another wedding. Ianto turned the suspicious raised eyebrow on Jack, his expression asking _Was there something you wanted to say?_ Jack quickly got the hint, digging in his pocket.

"Meddling Empath. I didn't forget anything... Aha!" He pulled his ring out triumphantly. "Ianto, will you marry me?"


	5. THE Wedding

**A/N: Last chapter, I think... though if you guys review enough I'll try to write some of the in-betweens (without Muse)... Sorry it's been so long, I was on holiday for a while, and then my internet went all weird... Thanks to myriadmiracle for the lovely review, and to everyone else who read it (though I can't thank you properly 'cause you won't review).**

**Disclaimer: No spoilers for Torchwood this time, but I did let the boys kiss... strangely enough, very minor spoilers for Hamlet. Sorry, I had to; I love the play :) **

**I don't own Torchwood or Hamlet, though I actually still have respect for the writer of the latter.  
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* * *

><p>Muse was still feeling rather drunk off her feet as she jumped into the time stream, so it came as no large surprise when she landed several hundred years away from where she meant to, in the middle of Denmark, of all places. The cold was good for her, though, and in just a few minutes she had regained her senses and began to take her bearings. Being too far away and facing the wrong direction to get more than a general sense of people's emotions (like she did for the better part of the entire galaxy), she opted to listen instead, catching the middle of a conversation.<p>

"Oh day and night, but this is wondrous strange!" _No,_ she thought in disbelief, _Absolutely not. This is __**not**__ happening._

"And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." _Oh, dear God, it is. I have __**got**__ to get out of here before I ruin a perfectly good tragedy with a happy ending._

And so, thus confused and more than a little awestruck, the slightly dazed Cantiran aimed once again for a wedding that would probably spin her head around even further than the last one had done. She had to be there for it, and, more importantly, afterwards, because as soon as the boys were done dancing and feeding each other cake, she had _News_.

* * *

><p>Missing once again-though not nearly as badly as before-the still-slightly-stunned Empath landed on the dance floor, the reception in full swing. Tosh, Owen, Rhys, and Gwen seemed determined to interrupt the happy couple as often as possible, dancing with one or the other repeatedly until they both were looking daggers at their teammates. Amazingly, Muse didn't catch even the faintest tone of jealousy in Ianto as Gwen danced with Jack once again, and she smiled. <em>How they have all grown<em>, she thought with a tinge of nostalgia.

Of course, she didn't have much more time to be thinking, as the nearest waiter took advantage of her distraction to slam straight into her, spilling champagne all over her. Shushing his hurried apologies, the Cantiran decided that _now_ would be the opportune moment to greet Ianto with a hug, if only to distract him from her _news_. If past experience was anything to go by, _News_ of this sort tended to make people sway on their feet for a second at least.

"Hello!" she called excitedly, expertly dodging the people she couldn't see. Before Ianto had time to reply, or hold off her sticky, champagne-covered self, she had wrapped him in a hug and sent out as much of a calming wave as she could while becoming quickly punch-drunk by the heady emotions.

"You're late," Jack accused teasingly, turning to hug her as well.

"Oh, no you don't," Ianto said, pulling her away from his new husband. "I'm not having you muss that suit as well. Have you any idea how much these cost?"

"Sorry I missed the ceremony," she answered, ignoring the complaint. "I accidentally dropped in on the beginning of Hamlet."

"You saw the play?" Ianto asked, suddenly interested.

"No, the real thing. There are _way_ more things on heaven and earth than I dreamt of. I had to leave before I messed up a perfectly good tragedy."

"Yes, I'm sure English teachers everywhere would have your head if you did," Jack commented.

"Never mind that, _I_ would have your head. I loved that play!" Ianto said angrily.

"Ah, yes... Hamlet and Horatio were a lovely tragic couple."

"Before you argue, Ianto-I can sense you're going to-you forget that I was _there_, about ten minutes ago," Muse interjected.

"And the verdict?" Jack asked, the beginnings of a smirk forming in his thoughts.

"'Twas most clear to my mind each was quite enamour'd of t'other," Muse said loftily.

"Told you!" the self-satisfied air emanated from Jack as he reached for Ianto.

"No way am I letting you ruin your suit as well, Jack!" Ianto pulled away.

"As sorry as I am to spoil your fun, I think we ought to go outside for a moment," Muse said, pulling them outside. Away from the thick excitement and loud music, she was able to clear her head and work on producing calm waves. "I have _News_."

"Muse, you're worrying me. I can _hear_ the capital letter in that word." Jack looked at the Cantiran anxiously.

"So, have you gotten a bigger house like I said yet?" she looked him in the eye, too impatient to wait for an answer. "Drat, you haven't! Give me two seconds."

Muse vanished into thin air, leaving Ianto and Jack alone for the time being. It took the older man mere seconds to rid Ianto of his champagne-sticky jacket, leaving him in just his shirt, and perfectly clean enough to kiss. Before he could, though, Ianto pulled away.

"She said two seconds!" he explained.

"Exactly. She _said_ two seconds. Which most likely means two hours. Or at least two minutes. Please?" Jack whined, sounding for all the world like a spoiled toddler.

"We've been married less than a day and already you're winging at me? I can see I have my work cut out for me," Ianto teased.

"Yes, and we have billions of years of eternity for you to get my manners into shape. Can we start sometime _else_? We haven't had a proper snog in _hours_."

"What are you, fifteen?"

"_Pleeeeeease?_"

Ianto kissed him gently by way of answer, putting his arms around his husband's waist. Jack, being Jack, was entirely unsatisfied with such a chaste form of affection, and almost immediately tried to prise Ianto's mouth open with his tongue. Ianto tried in vain to take it slowly, but a moment later they both lost all coherent thought as they fell into the sensations of lips, tongues, and (occasionally) teeth. Their bodies were flush against each other and it was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began. God only knew how they were still upright; each was so fully _melted_ into the kiss.

There was no telling how long they were lost in each other-they were stuck that way, and completely content to be so, until they were interrupted with a very loud _thwack, _followed by a _splash, _and a rather sharp pain under Ianto's shoulder blade.

Slowly, reluctantly pulling away, they began to take their bearings again. The _thwack/splash_ seemed to be the sound made when a teleporting girl lands on the table and passes out into the punch bowl. The sharp pain would be the small piece of gravel that was on the bench they appeared to be lying on-when did that happen?-that had gone entirely unnoticed for quite some time.

As Jack languidly peeled himself away from Ianto, Owen and Tosh helped the unconscious girl out of the punch bowl, setting her on a chair outside, where the emotion wouldn't be quite so intoxicating.

"It would appear that she has returned," Jack commented, helping his husband to his feet.

"Hmm?" Ianto replied dazedly. "That's not fair."

"What's not fair?" he asked innocently.

"That you can still make my head go all fuzzy," Ianto practically slurred.

"She's back now, we need your head un-fuzzy, my clever Tea Boy."

"Wait a minute, my brain cells are probably regrowing."

"An' whaddayou think mine're doin'? Havin' a tea party?" Muse staggered over. "God, don't _do_ that!"

"He's my husband, I can kiss him all I want," Jack said.

"You said you had... _News_?" Ianto queried, suddenly remembering the point.

"Yes, I just bought you a house. With your own money, don't worry. And I sold the old one. And hired people to move you in. About a month ago, I think."

"And... how did we not notice this?"

"A, you are quite distractable, and B, I'm brilliant. Even if I wasn't, I'm permanently telepathically bonded to the textbook definition of brilliant. But that's beside the point. I have a wedding gift for Ianto." Ianto raised an eyebrow as she handed him a small wrapped package.

"Don't I get one?" Jack asked childishly.

"Already have. Well, not from me." She shuddered theatrically. "God, that would be weird."

"He-hem," Ianto interjected, "Headphones?"

"Noise cancelling-you may need them to sleep. The next nine months will be hell. Lovely hell with an adorable light at the end of the tunnel, but hell all the same. Have fun with hormonal Jack."

"You don't mean..." Jack paled.

"Adieu, boys, I'm off to meet your kids!"


End file.
